Eric Patashnik — Countermobilization: Policy Feedback and Backlash in a Polarized Age

Join the Watson Institute for a panel discussion about Professor Eric Patashnik’s new book, Countermobilization: Policy Feedback and Backlash in a Polarized Age.

Author Eric Patashnik will be joined by panelists Andrea Campbell, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science, MIT; David Mayhew, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Yale University; and Jim Morone, John Hazen White Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, Brown University. Moderated by Wendy Schiller, Director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, and Alison S. Ressler Professor of Political Science.

About the book

An essential look at how and why backlash movements are inherent to US policymaking.

The most successful policies not only solve problems. They also build supportive coalitions. Yet, sometimes, policies trigger backlash and mobilize opposition. Although backlash is not a new phenomenon, today’s political landscape is distinguished by the frequency and pervasiveness of backlash in nearly every area of US policymaking, from abortion rights to the Affordable Care Act.

Eric M. Patashnik develops a policy-centered theory of backlash that illuminates how policies stimulate backlashes by imposing losses, overreaching, or challenging existing arrangements to which people are strongly attached. Drawing on case studies of issues from immigration and trade to healthcare and gun control, Countermobilization shows that backlash politics is fueled by polarization, cultural shifts, and negative feedback from the activist government itself. It also offers crucial insights to help identify and navigate backlash risks.